Bryan Washington's debut novel follows Mike and Benson, a gay couple whose relationship is tested when Mike's father is dying in Japan. Mike's complicated feelings about his Japanese heritage and his estrangement from his father lead him to fly to Osaka, leaving his white boyfriend behind in Houston, just as Mike's Japanese mother Mitsuko arrives for an unexpected extended visit. The novel alternates between Mike navigating his father's decline and reconnecting with Japanese family, and Benson attempting to build a relationship with Mitsuko while managing his own dysfunctional family. Washington captures the texture of Houston's diverse neighborhoods with the same precision he brings to the intimate dynamics of romantic and family relationships. Both men must reckon with what they want from each other and whether they can provide it. Washington writes with warmth about food, sex, work, and the ordinary rhythms of life in ways that feel both specific and universal. The novel explores how family histories shape romantic relationships, how racial and cultural differences complicate intimacy, and how people change or fail to change over time. Readers will find here a contemporary love story that refuses easy resolution while maintaining hope that damaged people can learn to care for each other better.